Sleepwalking
by Guera Mexicana
Summary: Mulder drags Scully on a case, but her luggage gets lost.  What happens next surprises Mulder and he decides to have a little fun.
1. The First Night

Title: Sleepwalking

Author: Guera Mexicana

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: The characters of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully do not belong to me, but to the amazing Chris Carter. I write for entertainment only.

Summary: Mulder drags Scully on a case, but her luggage gets lost. What happens next surprises Mulder and he decides to have a little fun.

Chapter 1: The First Night

We stood outside the luggage carousel for almost 45 minutes. All the other passengers had grabbed their bags and left the area barren. "Come on, Scully, let's go check with the lost luggage clerk." We followed the signs down the hall to the lost luggage room.

"Closed," Scully read the sign aloud. "Now what am I supposed to do?"

"I'm sorry, Scully. We'll call them first thing in the morning." I wrote down the phone number and noted the hours for tomorrow. It was my idea to take such a late flight to this small town. I found an old case about werewolves that I wanted to check out and convinced Scully to come along. "Why don't we just go get our rental and head out to the motel?"

"Fine," she huffed in tired frustration. "This one better not be like that last one you found for us. I could feel things crawling all over me for a week."

I led her through the tiny airport with my hand low on her back. I'd always marveled that she allowed me to do this. I thought tough girl Scully would have me in a head lock the first time I attempted it. That seemed like a long time ago. We made it to the motel about 20 minutes later. We found the rooms to be pretty decent for the price. It's not like we had that much of a choice anyways. It was either this or the Blossom Peach we saw on the way here. That one looked worse than the last one I picked. As usual, we had conjoining rooms. Once we found them I said good night to Scully and went inside mine.

I started my routine of brushing my teeth and unpacking a few necessities. My luggage hadn't gotten lost, but all I brought was a small bag and my laptop. I took off my jacket and dress shirt, laying them across the desk chair and heard a knock from the connecting door. Upon opening it I saw Scully looking rather sheepishly on the other side.

"Mulder, I'm sorry to bother you, but do you…" she was fidgeting. "Do you have something I could sleep in?"

My first impulse was to ask why she needed to sleep in anything at all, but I brushed the thought of my partner wearing nothing but a bra and panties aside. _Where did that come from?_ "Uhm, let me see." I pretended to rummage through my bag knowing perfectly well I didn't have a set of silk pajamas for a thin petite woman. I'd have to come up with something, though. I felt really guilty about her luggage. Without thinking I reached for the shirt I had just taken off. "Here, you can wear this." _That's not much better than underwear_, I thought to myself.

"You sure? Won't you need it for tomorrow?"

"No, I brought an extra. You know me, with my eating habits and all." I had a bad habit of wearing my food.

"Thanks, Mulder. I'll see you in the morning."

She took the shirt from me and I felt her hand gently make contact with mine. I felt a charge of electricity move through me as our hands were united for a brief moment. She shut the door after that and I took off my pants and climbed into bed. Then I turned on the tv flipping channels to find something good.

* * *

_I'm going to kill him! _I thought to myself. It was his fault my luggage got lost. It was his idea to come out to the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. I paced around the room for a few minutes trying to figure out what I was going to do about clothes. We wouldn't be able to do anything until the morning. I was sure that the stores wouldn't open until then so that meant I'd have to wear the same thing I'd just spent wearing for 3 hours on a plane. There have been times that we both had to recycle our wardrobe during cases. One or both of us usually ended up with something all over our clothes or we'd be out on a case longer than expected. The immediate problem occurred to me as I was brushing my teeth using the toothbrush provided by the motel. I was thankful that it had been wrapped in plastic. I admit this place was better than the last one he'd picked and maybe slightly cleaner than those we've had to bear in the past. I was especially thankful that we didn't stay at the one we passed on our way here. _What am I going to do about pajamas?_ I stared at the adjoining door for a long time biting my lower lip. _Should I even try? Why would he have something for me? I guess I won't know until I ask._

"Mulder, I'm sorry to bother you, but do you…" _keep it together Dana,_ "Do you have something I could sleep in?"

"Uhm, let me see." He said.

I knew he only looked through his suitcase to buy some time. But I was shocked when he practically threw his shirt at me.

"Here, you can wear this." I noticed a slight look of surprise at himself.

"You sure? Won't you need it for tomorrow?" I didn't want him to look wrinkly in the morning.

"No, I brought an extra. You know me, with my eating habits and all." I smiled nervously, but I knew he had a point.

I thanked him and reached for the shirt he was still holding out to me. My hand lightly brushed his and I felt something combust within me. _What was that?_ I had touched my partner countless times, but nothing like that had ever happened. I took a deep breath to regain my self-control. I started to feel a little jet lag and wanted to get to sleep as soon as I could. I put his shirt on the bed and took off my clothes. When I picked his shirt up again a strong aroma invaded my senses. _Parfum de Mulder, _I thought. The smell was part cologne and part Mulder. There have been rare occasions when I've smelled pure Mulder; when he hasn't put on any deodorant or cologne. It was incredibly delectable and I knew I would have trouble if I kept this shirt. A craving developed in me because of this scent. It was one I recognized from past experiences. I suddenly felt lonely. It had been years since I'd been in a relationship and this simple reminder was enough to bring those desires rolling back. I'm not sure why I decided to keep his shirt. It was like there was a little devil inside me telling me to give in to the effect it created on my body. I was starting to like it, too. So, against better judgment I put it on and crawled onto the bed. The temperature in the room suddenly seemed to rise; therefore there was no need for the covers. I stared at my naked toes for far too long, wishing sleep would hurry and consume me.

* * *

I flipped through the channels stopping here and there to see what was on. Normally I didn't mind watching tv all night, but the cable here wasn't just poor quality, it made for poor viewing, too. After two hours I got pretty tired of it and attempted to look over the case. I was reading over the reports of one of the witnesses when I heard a sound from the door to Scully's room. I looked up and saw her leaning against the doorframe.

My eyes beheld a glorious sight! There she was in nothing but my shirt! Her hair was messy and her hands were down by her sides. She had the sleeves rolled up a couple of times, but her fingertips were barely visible at the end. The top buttons were undone and the collar was spread across her chest revealing more of her than I'd ever seen! I couldn't help but follow the buttons down to see that there were only a few of them holding my shirt on her tiny body. Her exposed legs looked incredible and I had to keep a moan from escaping my throat.

It felt like an eternity passed with her standing there, though. The awkward part was that she didn't say anything. Just as I was about to ask her if she was ok she slowly walked over to me and crawled into my bed. I quickly discarded the papers in my hand. I wanted nothing more than to take this heavenly woman into my arms and make love to her. I have to confess the temptation almost got the better of me and as I moved a strand of hair out of her face I realized she was asleep! _Did she just fall asleep that fast? _No, the answer became plain as day. She was sleepwalking! _But why did she come to me?_ I wondered. I'd done a research paper back at Oxford about this kind of thing and I am still interested in its mysteries. But here, before my eyes, is evidence that her subconscious led her straight to me!

_What does this mean? Does she have feelings for me?_ One thing I knew, though, was that I shouldn't try to wake her. Studies show that it would be dangerous for her subconscious. The last thing I wanted was for her to live like I have with terrible dreams or insomnia. So, I decided the best thing for her was to let her stay there. _But what was I supposed to do about myself? What would happen if she woke up in my room? Do I stay here with her? Do I sleep in her room?_ I guessed the best thing would be for me to sleep in her room. I wouldn't want her to freak out if I was there when she woke up. I turned out the lights and left my room with Scully lying in my bed. I knew I would have trouble sleeping. These are the moments I really enjoy my photographic memory.

* * *

I woke to the sunlight kissing my face and was shocked to find I wasn't in the same room I'd fallen asleep in last night. _How did I get here? What happened?_ Images of Mulder and me flashed through my head. _Oh no! What did I do? Did I get drunk last night? No, I didn't have anything to drink. Then why am I here?_ I sat up looking around the room. _Where is he?_ Then I noticed a little piece of paper on the nightstand next to me.

_Went for a run ~ Mulder_

_What does this mean? _I looked to the other side of the bed and saw that it didn't look as though someone had slept there. That also means that there hadn't been any other activities last night. Relieved I got up and become aware of my appearance through the mirror. I was a mess! My hair looked awful, but this shirt made me look sexy! _Did he see me like this?_ First, I was a little scared that he had, and then I thought, _What if he did? What did he think?_ I blushed at the thought of him seeing his partner wearing nothing but his shirt. _No, no, Dana. He's your partner!_ I shook the thought from my head. I needed to get out of here. I saw his little overnight bag and went looking for a comb I could use. When I found it I went back to my room to shower.

* * *

I stood outside my room for a few minutes deciding on what to do next. I was hoping she'd be up by now and fully dressed. When I got up this morning I needed to clear my head, but the only thing that helps me do that is running. I snuck back into my room to get my things and saw her again. Thankfully the bottom half of her was covered by the blanket, but I still had trouble looking at the top half. She still looked incredible! She had terrible bed head, but she looked beautiful. How I wished I could see that every morning. Gathering my senses again I grabbed my running gear, went back to her room and left. That was more than an hour ago. To give her extra time I also picked up some breakfast from the lobby.

I knocked on my door, "Scully?" I called out. I waited for a while so that she could have time to run back to her room. I knew she'd be embarrassed by the whole thing. When no answer or sound came I slowly unlocked the door and peered in. She was gone. Secretly I craved to see her there still. I heard the sound of running water and figured she was back in her room taking a shower. _What would she do if I joined her? No, Mulder. Don't do that to yourself. _I needed a cold shower myself.

After my shower I got dressed and waited for Scully to return. I knew I'd just have to wait here. It wasn't long, though. I heard her knock on the door.

"Good morning, Scully. You're looking lovely." _That was weird._ She was wearing the same skirt, shirt, and jacket as she had yesterday. Her hair had a little less body, but she still looked radiant.

She didn't say anything for a minute and then, "I had to borrow your comb. I hope you don't mind."

She handed it over to me keeping her eyes low. _Oh, she's gonna play this game? Aright, Scully, I can play, too! _"You hungry?"

"Yes, very," she replied.

"Good, I picked up some breakfast. Let's have some and look over the case. I bet it will be at least an hour before everything opens up. We can go shopping then."

We spent the better part of that hour discussing werewolves and all the different theories that come with them. She, of course, rejected all of them. _I love that about her. This woman certainly gives me a challenge._ She called the luggage office and they told her they still didn't know where her bag ended up. They would call once they've located it. Then we went into town looking for a store. I offered to help pick out some things for her, but she quickly declined the aid stating she could handle it herself.

"You should get started on your theory," she said, "I'll meet up with you, later."

It wasn't until lunch time that I saw her again. She was now wearing a grey pant suit with a cream blouse. She was still avoiding my eyes, too. I withheld a laugh at her embarrassment. It had only been a few hours since I saw her last, but the images I saw from this morning and last night were still etched in my brain. I could have died a happy man last night. We were pretending nothing happened. I'm sure she couldn't remember why she ended up in my bed. _Oh, I was going to have fun with this!_

"Hey, Scully, I never got a chance to say thank you for an amazing night! I don't think I've ever had such a good time."

The look on her face was priceless! Complete and utter surprise! She dropped her fork and nearly choked on the food in her mouth. I couldn't hold the laughter in any longer but before I could let it out I had to excuse myself from the table. After I felt I could continue the charade with a straight face I went back to the table.

"Mulder, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me last night."

I cut her off, "Don't worry about it. You finished? I've got a lead to follow." I stood up not giving her a chance to object.

* * *

_I have got to find out what happened last night!_ I'd been walking around this town all morning looking for a decent place to find appropriate work clothes. It was difficult because my thoughts were engrossed by what I woke up to. I'd been asking myself the same questions praying the answer would come. I couldn't remember anything after I got into bed. My bed in my room. _How did I end up in Mulder's bed?_ _Did he and I sleep together? Why don't I remember it?_ It was killing me. When he thanked me for last night I was speechless. But I was so sure nothing had happened.

Now, I'm sitting at this table alone. Mulder just got up to pay the bill. I buried my face in my hands trying to hide my discomfort. If I had to spend the rest of this trip with him I needed to know the answers. I needed to know what I did. What we did. But how was I supposed to find out without hurting his feelings or making him think it was all a big mistake? _Was it a big mistake?_

"You coming, Scully?" he called from the door.

Without saying anything I grabbed my purse and followed him out the door. Our case was brought back to my attention by Mulder's rambling while he drove. "Werewolves have been reported here for almost 60 years, Scully. I think that's something worth checking out."

"So, you think this is something like Teen Wolf?" I never took any of these to be legitimate.

"Yeah, but Michael J. Fox doesn't live here. I checked."

_If I laugh does it mean I'm flirting?_ _This_ _is making me crazy!_ I looked over to Mulder who was already looking at me. There was something different about him. His eyes were softer and his smile was… _Look away, Dana, just look away._ I didn't know what was happening to me. Yesterday I would have never thought I'd be looking at my partner with googly eyes. _What should I do if he makes a move? Do I push him back making some excuse that we're partners and it's strictly against the rules? _It wasn't until last night when I borrowed his shirt that these thoughts and feelings emerged. We have been on many cases together and there was never anything to suggest either of us had feelings for the other. _But what about last night?_ I vowed to stop thinking about this and get back to werewolves. I never thought I'd say that.

We spent the next several hours questioning the residents of the town. From young to old they all had their own story to tell. By nightfall I was exhausted and relieved when Mulder decided to call it a night.


	2. The Second Night

Chapter 2: The Second Night

We finished the deli sandwiches that we ordered for dinner and went over more notes from the case. Scully didn't seem like herself tonight. Usually she was quick with snappy replies to my theories. Maybe she was distracted. I thought about her reaction to my statement at lunch. It still made me laugh. I hadn't felt like this in a while and I wasn't about to give it up.

But the events of the last twenty hours had been floating around within me. I went to bed last night, in her bed, thinking about the way she looked in my shirt. I remember feeling like she had opened a door to a new world. She looked unbelievably sexy standing there. I was flabbergasted at the way my heart skipped a beat and somehow it ended up in my throat at the sight of her. All day I found myself preoccupied with the events of last night. It was curious to me, though that I started to feel like a 13 year old boy with a crush. _A crush?_ _Do I have a crush on Scully?_ _It must be something else, some stupid fantasy._

"Mulder? Did you hear what I just said?"

"I'm sorry, Scully. I must have dazed off." I realized I couldn't remember the last five minutes of our conversation. _Crap, she caught me day dreaming!_

"I said I'm tired and I'm going to bed."

"Oh, ok, Scully. Sweet dreams." She gathered a few things and walked to the door. "What, no goodnight kiss?" I knew she'd squirm at that. It must have worked because she quickly went through the door and shut it behind her. _Oh I'm good!_ I leaned back in my chair smiling at my own amusement.

* * *

"What, no goodnight kiss?"

_Did he just say that?_ I know he saw me wobble a bit when he said it. I got into my room as fast as I could. _Breathe Dana!_ It took me a minute to calm myself. I still hadn't coughed up enough guts to ask him about last night. _What am I supposed to do? It's getting to where I can hardly be in the same room as him. Ok, tomorrow, I'll talk to him tomorrow. I'll just go to bed and figure this all out in the morning._

Luckily when I went shopping I was able to grab a little bit of a wardrobe including my own pajamas. I began pulling them out of the bags, but was sidetracked by another evil thought. _Wear his shirt again. I couldn't wear his shirt again; besides, I have my own clothes now._ His scent still lingered on it as I picked it up. _No one would ever know if I did._ I decided on a compromise of my own clothes and his shirt as a cover up. I felt a little mischievous, but I was enjoying it.

* * *

Scully left my room and I once again stripped down to my boxers and lay in my bed to watch tv. At least this time there was a movie on. I was just nodding off when I heard the familiar sound of the doorknob turning. I wondered if she was awake this time. When I opened my eyes I saw a familiar vision, but she was wearing something a little different. Under my shirt she had a green lacey tank top with matching panties. This was even more of a turn on and the memorable lump returned in my throat. Once again she slowly walked to the bed and climbed in, but she got up close to me and threw one leg over my hips. _This was different_. _This felt amazing._ Her head was resting on my chest and I took in the scent of her hair. It was something like strawberries and kiwi. I selfishly chose to remain where I was and wrapped my arms around her. I didn't care if she woke up and freaked out! Maybe she wouldn't anyway. _We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I suppose._ As if her presence was a drug I easily fell asleep.

* * *

"_Scully, I'm so happy we finally decided to take this to the next level. It feels so good to hold you in my arms."_

_"I know what you mean, Mulder. There's something that feels so right." I looked up to see him leaning closer to me. I could tell he was staring at my lips. Does this mean we're going to kiss? What will it be like to kiss my partner? Right away the answer came as his lips met mine._

I was conscious in an instant and beheld that I was in fact wrapped in Mulder's arms. I jumped out of his bed and ran to my room but was knocked to the floor by gravity. I screamed more in surprise than anything else. Apparently I tripped on the shoes I'd removed last night. I rolled onto my back just in time to have Mulder pounce on top of me!

"Mulder, what are you doing? Get off of me!"

"Are you ok?" He didn't move. "I heard a strange sound and thought you were in trouble. I must have tripped on something." His last words were barely audible as we both saw the position we were in.

Just like in the dream I just had he was staring at my lips. The same nervous sensations blossomed and I felt the desire to kiss him swell. I swallowed a gulp of fear waiting for him to make the move.

* * *

And there I was wearing just boxers lying on top of my partner. Luckily I caught myself on the way down so as not to crush her. But as she was struggling to push me off I couldn't help but stare at her. I soaked in every inch of her face before stopping at her lips. I silently prayed she would let me partake of their bounty. I decided to take the plunge. I leaned closer and pressed my lips to her's. For a moment I thought I'd made a bad choice because she wasn't responding, but just as I moved to retreat I felt her mouth open slightly and her tongue slip through my lips. The passion engulfed my senses and I found my hands roaming her body. I propped myself up on my left elbow and strung my fingers through her hair. I ran my right hand from her left knee up her bare leg to her hip continuing slowly until it rested on her waist. I pulled her body closer to mine deepening our kiss. I heard soft moaning from somewhere and couldn't tell if it was from her or me. Her hands were busy as well. I was certain I felt one slide under the back of my boxers.

I didn't know how much more I could take. I was definitely taking pleasure in our actions, but I wasn't sure what we should do next. Unwillingly I broke our embrace. "Scully, I…"

"Mulder, its ok. We need to talk anyways. Go get dressed. I'll be there in a minute."

I nodded because I knew what she was talking about and I also knew it was true. She deserved to know the truth. I slowly stood up and went back to my room._ Will she be angry that I led her on like that?_

I had been dressed for a while before she knocked on the door. "Come on in, Scully." I was sitting on the edge of the bed hoping she would join me there. Instead she stood in the doorway much like she had the last 2 nights.

"Mulder, I have to be honest with you and I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I have no idea how I've ended up in your bed these last couple of days. All I know is I've gone to bed in my room and woken up here in yours. I have no idea what you and I have done."

"Scully," I said standing up, "you and I haven't done anything."

"But, what you said at the diner yesterday…"

"I was just playing with your head. I knew you didn't remember what happened and I was just having fun at your expense. I'm really sorry! It was really mean and stupid of me."

"So, we haven't …we didn't…?"

I laughed, "No, Scully. The only thing that's happened with us the last two days is what we were doing just now."

"Why is this so funny to you?"

I could tell she was a little hurt. "Because, Scully, it is funny. Let yourself laugh at it."

She started to turn away from me. "Wait! The truth is you've been sleepwalking. Last night and the night before you have come through this door and gotten into bed with me."

"What? Why would I do that?"

"I don't know, Dr. Scully, you tell me. Why is it that you've been snuggling up with me?"

"I'm not a sleep doctor, Mulder. I have no idea."

"I have one. Care to hear it?"

"If it will help me get to the bottom of this, I guess I have to."

I sat down on the bed again. "Come here, sit with me." She was clearly reluctant to do so. I held out my hand to encourage her. _I can't believe that worked._ I held onto her hand as she sat. "I think the reason is that you want to be with me and it took an act of your subconscious to make you realize it." I paused to let her absorb the information. "Tell me, Scully, what were you thinking about when we were kissing?"

She looked into my eyes and said, "I was thinking that I really liked it and that it felt right."

"I was thinking the same thing." I cupped her cheeks and brought her closer to me. Just as I was about to kiss her again the phone rang. We were both startled and jumped a little. I held her gaze for a split second and then reached for the phone.

"Yeah?" The airline finally found her bag and was flying it over to the airport. After I got off the phone the moment had passed and we both knew it. "Back to business?"

"I guess so. I'll go get breakfast, ok?" She got up and walked to the front door.

"Scully?" I stood and hurried toward her. "I…" There weren't any words to say, so I took hold of her waist and captured her in a passionate kiss. When I finally released her she smiled wordlessly and went outside.

* * *

_So, where do we go from here?_ We still had a case to work on, even if it was about werewolves. _Where do these people come up with this stuff?_ I stood outside Mulder's motel room for a minute bathing in the morning sun. I brought my fingers to my lips. _We just kissed!_ Well, we'd been making out on the floor like hungry teenagers. I was relieved he stopped when he did. I knew something could have happened there. I could feel it within my own body and proof that Mulder was feeling the same was obvious against my thigh. I blushed at that memory.

"Are you going to get breakfast or are you going to stand there all day?" Mulder popped his head out the door startling me. I smiled and went towards the lobby.

Today was not going to be easy. We'd have to set some kind of boundaries if we were going to hide this. It is bureau policy that partners maintain strict professionalism and never become romantically involved. Failing to follow this policy would result in reassignment. I knew Mulder would die with another partner and he would go crazy without the X-Files. The only solution would be for him to go solo and for the board to reassign me. If it came down to a decision I wouldn't let them reassign Mulder. I'd rather quit than let them do that to him.

* * *

I thought she would stand out there forever! I had to give her a little nudge if we were going to get any food. When she came back she had a serious look on her face. I knew right away I had to get rid of that. I took the food from her hands and placed them on the table. "Welcome back Agent Scully." I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a kiss. I felt her stiffen slightly and then relax in our embrace. Then suddenly she pushed me away.

"Mulder," she said wiping her lips, "we have to discuss something."

_Oh boy!_ "What's wrong, Scully?"

"It's just that if we want to continue down this particular path and remain partners then we are going to have to give ourselves firm limitations. You know what would happen if someone at work found out we…well…you know."

"Scully, do you know how cute you look right now?"

"Cute?"

"Yes. It's like you're afraid we'll be caught making out on the front porch at your parents' house."

"You're trying to change the subject, Mulder."

It's true. "Ok, so, the obvious way to keep this our little secret is to pretend it doesn't exist." I pulled her closer to me. "Do you have any idea how difficult that will be?" I had to kiss her again, but before I could she pushed me away again.

"Agent Mulder, we have work to do."

_Back to business again._

"Besides," she continued, "there will be time for that later." I caught a faint smile as she turned her head away.

* * *

We managed to eat breakfast and focus on werewolves. "Mulder, I don't see any evidence that these animals exist. It's just some urban legend that movies and books make millions from."

"But what about all the reports and sightings? We've interviewed how many people in this town that have witnessed something? What can you say about that?"

He had a point, but I still refused to believe him. "Maybe it's somebody playing a prank on this town. It's clear that they've all got a fix on it. It would be easy for some teenager to feed on that."

"Yeah, but these claims are decades old, Scully."

"So, it's more than one person. Come on, Mulder think about it." Talking to him about these things is exhausting.

"Ok, Scully. I'll make a deal. Tonight happens to be a full moon," _here we go, _"we'll go out on surveillance and catch this thing. If nothing happens we go home tomorrow."

I couldn't argue with him anymore and the promise of an end to this was appealing. "Fine, Mulder. You get one night!"

Throughout the day we continued interviewing the town focusing on how to catch the culprit behind this. We found a clearing a few yards into the woods and tried to find a spot we could use to hide ourselves in. Once Mulder was happy we left planning to return in a few more hours.

On our drive back to town Mulder reached over and gently grasped my hand. The instant his hand touched mine I felt butterflies. It was such a simple gesture, but it caused my whole body to tense in excitement. I wanted to warn him that we were still on a case, but thought twice. We were alone in the car, so no one would know. He held my hand for the whole ride giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go when we were about a mile away from town.

"I'm getting hungry," I said. "It would be good for us to grab a bite before our stake out."

"I agree. How about that diner from yesterday?"

My thoughts turned to the joke he played on me yesterday. I admit it was funny. I wasn't going to admit that to him, though. "I think I'd rather try that little Italian place across the street from it."

"Works for me." He said.

I had a Cesar salad and stuffed ravioli. He chose a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. It was kind of sweet to see him slurp the noodles up and his lips were red from the sauce. _He looks sexy like this. Whoa, Dana, focus!_ I cleared my throat and asked, "Did you ever play with legos when you were a kid?"

"Legos? Yeah, sometimes. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, just trying to make conversation. What were your favorite things to build?"

"I used to make a lot of space ships."

"Really? Was that before or after…?" _Oops._

He signed but continued, "It was before. I was around 8 or 9 when the Apollo 11 landed on the moon. So, naturally I was curious about that stuff. I would make a space shuttle sometimes, too."

I felt awful for bringing up his childhood. "I'm sorry, Mulder. I wasn't thinking."

"It's ok, Scully. I was pretty happy at that age. What did you play with when you were little?"

"Besides the typical Barbie doll, I liked to play Clue."

"I bet you were really good at it."

"Not at first. Bill would usually beat me, but I quickly learned the strategy. I wonder if that's why I decided to go into the FBI." I never thought about it like that before. It wasn't until then that I would watch cop shows on tv with my brothers.

I looked out the window. "It's starting to get dark, Mulder. It's time I prove you wrong." I smiled and stood. "Let's get going."

* * *

After spending two hours squatting in the woods my werewolf emerged. Turns out, Scully was right. I easily caught up to him and tackled him to the ground. He was a local college kid in a costume. This ritual had been passed down through a fraternity as a punishment. The kid fessed up, but wouldn't rat on his frat. Since no one had ever been harmed and there hadn't been any laws broken I admitted defeat and we returned to the motel around midnight.

Scully was still laughing at my blunder when we pulled up. Apparently the last hour at the local police department wasn't enough time for her to calm down. We got out of the car and went into my room. "If I had known it would be this bad, I would have put money on it," she said.

"Haha, very funny, Scully." I had to get her mind off of this. "I'll call the airline in the morning and we can pick up your bag on our way to our flight." The room became silent then. It was an awkward silence. Finally I said, "You know, we are off the clock, now."

"What are you getting at, Agent Mulder?"

"I think you know perfectly well what I'm getting at." I went closer to her, but allowed her to make her way to me as well. She closed the distance between us and I took both of her hands and placed them on my back. I put my own on her back and moved them softly along her spine. I had my forehead resting on her's and whispered, "Scully, stay with me tonight."

She looked up to me with the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen. "In your dreams, Mulder." She got up on her tippy toes and gave me a mind blowing kiss! "Good night," she whispered when she moved back.

I was left stunned as she retreated to her room. This woman was going to kill me slowly if she kept this up. For the last time in this little town I got ready for bed and turned on the tv.

* * *

_Oh, he is so easy!_ From the moment we got back I'd been planning a tease fest. All I needed was a little time to prepare. I heard the tv come on and waited a few more minutes. I gave myself another assessment and decided to make my move.

I opened the door to our adjoining rooms and leaned against the door frame. _Déjà vu_. He looked up to me with raised eyebrows. I could tell he was thinking "not again". Tonight I was wearing a silk black cami with black lace boyshorts. I almost laughed as his jaw dropped. I then walked over to his bed, climbed in, and burrowed my body against his. He was frozen. _This is fun!_ "Mulder, turn off the light, I'm tired."

"Scully, are you awake?" He looked down at me and I couldn't help but break out laughing.

"Your face was priceless!" I said through my laughter.

"Oh, you're terrible," he said.

Before I even had time to think he started tickling me. I couldn't believe it! I was being tortured by this man. My squeals and pleas for pity were ignored as he continued. He was bigger and stronger than I was and therefore I could do nothing to defend myself. I was left to his mercy. Finally he relented and I caught my breath.

I rolled onto my side and gazed into his eyes. His smile was inviting and warm and I just had to kiss him again. Readjusting myself because of our significant height difference I leaned in and gave him a simple kiss. We were lacking experience in this department and I have yet to determine if I preferred eye level or him leaning down to me. I'm sure there will be extensive research on this debate.

I rolled onto my other side spooning with him and said, "Good night, Mulder."

"But Scully…"

"No funny business tonight. Let's just sleep."

He grunted but accepted the disappointing rejection. "Good night, Scully," he whispered.

* * *

A/N Do you think I should continue this story?


	3. A Beautiful Day

The next morning I woke up feeling invigorated. I couldn't remember the last time I slept so well. The best part, though, was waking up next to a gorgeous woman! Either she was faking it once again or she was sound asleep. She looked peaceful and a faint smile appeared on her face. I was fascinated by her. I didn't get a chance to do this yesterday morning because she jolted out of bed first. I never wanted this moment to end.

As I soaked in her beauty I began thinking about our new relationship. The recent turn of events was still a little unbelievable, but here in front of me was the undeniable evidence. For so many years I'd pushed people away afraid to get close to anyone. It was obviously a mutual feeling with everyone I met. There were only a few people who I could talk to, but Scully was the only one who knew me inside and out. I wondered why I'd never thought of her in this way before. The first time she walked into my office she looked young and vibrant. She also looked a little naïve, inexperienced, even. I was quickly proven wrong on our first case. She deeply impressed me when she caught that little difference in the autopsies of the first three victims. From then on I knew there was something about this woman and I am thankful I allowed myself to open up to her.

Suddenly a thought popped in my head. I need to do something to show her how I feel about her. Before I could come up with something she began to stir. "Good morning G Woman!"

"Good morning Mulder." She smiled. _I could get used to that!_ "What time is it?"

"Almost 8. That reminds me, I need to make airline reservations. Sleep well?"

"Amazingly, yes. I think I slept all night. I don't remember waking up at all."

"I don't think I did either." She adjusted her position again getting closer to my body. _Oh boy! _I was pretty sure she didn't want to take this to the next level so soon, but she was treading on dangerous ground at the moment. "Uh, Scully?"

"Mmm?"

"I've got a problem, a big problem and either we take care of it right now or you'll spare me my embarrassment and go back to your room." She looked confused. I raised my eyebrows and scrunched my mouth trying to express my dilemma with dignity.

"Oh," she finally understood. Thankfully she did without the innuendos or cliché comments and gracefully got out of the bed. The image of her walking away was difficult to take in. I needed a really cold shower!

About an hour later I was showered and dressed and on the phone with the airline. A quiet knock came from the front door. I had to stretch the phone cord all the way in order to reach it. When I opened the door Scully was there holding our breakfast. I let her in, thanked her quietly, and continued my phone conversation. "Ok, thank you," I said before hanging up the phone. "Our flight leaves at 4. That gives us plenty of time to check out, grab some lunch, and maybe see some sights."

"Sights? I didn't know there was anything but dust and rocks here."

"Well, I picked up this little brochure about the various attractions from the lobby. Apparently the world's largest spur is just a few miles out of town."

"A spur? Mulder, you really are weird."

"Trust me on this one, Scully. I think you'll like it."

* * *

We packed our things and checked out of the motel. The café we went to for lunch was attached to a little convenient store. It was small, but offered plenty of choices for a meal. I decided on potato soup and Mulder got a foot long sandwich. Sometimes I wondered where all that food went. I eyed my partner up and down. I was blessed with the opportunity to explore his body just a little bit during this case and I knew he needed all that food to fuel his muscled physique.

"Scully, you ok?"

I looked up blushing at being caught. "Just taking it all in, Mulder." I silently thought about how long it would be until I allowed our make out sessions to turn more heated. I didn't really know the answer to that, but guessed it wouldn't be too long since Mulder and I were already friends. _Technically we'd already slept together twice, though._ It's not as though I'll jump into his bed as soon as we get home.

When we finished eating Mulder paid and I noticed he also bought a small disposable camera and a small towel. _What is he up to?_

"Ready to go see that spur?" He asked me when he opened the car door for me.

"I'm so excited, Mulder." He saw through my attempt at a lie and just smiled.

He drove to the edge of town towards the woods we went to last night. I didn't see how a giant spur would be located in the woods, but decided to give him the gift of my silence. By the time he stopped I wasn't so sure he had been telling me the truth. He got out of the car taking the towel with him.

"Mulder, do you even know where we are?" So, I couldn't stay silent for too long.

"Yes, I think what we're looking for is just a few feet through these trees."

"How would you know?"

"I've got the brochure. Let's go."

He grabbed my hand and I had to move a little faster to keep up with his pace. After only a minute or two we stood before a beautiful waterfall spilling into a small river.

"Mulder, this is incredible! I had no idea this would be here."

He turned to me and held my face in both hands. "If you would just trust me sometimes I can show you beautiful treasures," he whispered.

He was right. There have been a few times that he's proved me wrong and showed me something amazing. I quickly thought of when I got that strange message from him and we ended up playing baseball. "I'm sorry, Mulder."

He kissed me then. It was filled with desire, but not overwhelming. When we parted he took my hand again and led me closer to the water. He laid the towel on the ground and sat down. "Come here."

I did as told sitting between his legs with my back to him. He engulfed me in his arms and gave me gentle kisses on my neck. "Mulder?'

"Hmm?"

"Do you want me to call you by any pet names?"

"I don't know, I never thought about it before. Is there something you want to call me?"

"Not particularly. I hadn't thought about it until now. I'm not even sure it would feel natural."

"Well, how about we take it slow and see what we come up with?"

"That sounds like a good plan."

He reached into his coat pocket and grabbed the camera. "You know, for an FBI agent you're not that sneaky."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I saw you buy that. If you wanted to keep it a secret then you did a poor job."

"I guess I was a little distracted. I got it because I wanted to remember this."

_How sweet!_ He pushed the button to turn it on and stretched his arm out in front of us. He took a few pictures making sure to get a good one. Then we sat there for a while. It wasn't too warm outside and the sound of the waterfall was calming. We could hear birds singing in the distance, too. "Thank you for bringing me here. It was perfect." I turned to face him and kissed his cheek. He leaned down a little further and kissed my lips. Our simple kisses evolved to deeper ones and I heard a soft clicking sound accompanied by a bright flash.

"I wanted to remember that, too," he said smiling.

I gave him a gentle shove and stood up. "We'd better go. We still have to return the rental."

He nodded and we left the little piece of paradise behind.


	4. An Opportunity

"Mulder?" He turned to look at me. "I think we need to talk about something." So far our flight had been uneventful. There was about half an hour until we landed and there was something I'd been contemplating the whole time. "We've been friends for a while now and I was trying to imagine our future together. Mostly about our immediate future, as in, when we get home tonight." I didn't want either of us to feel obligated to go to the other's house and I didn't want him to feel rejected.

"Let me just ask you something. Do you want to come over tonight?"

I knew it wasn't an invitation, just a question. "I know I want to spend time with you, but I'm not sure we should over do it this soon."

"Ok, Scully. I don't want to pressure you, either. To be honest, I'm a little scared we'll ruin it as fast as we got started. I don't want to lose you now that I have you." He smiled and gave me a gentle hug. He didn't remove his arms, but held me for a while. An announcement was made that we'd be landing in just a few minutes came through the speakers. We both looked out the window and saw the beautiful lights surrounding the city. Then the plane made a final turn before landing.

I was happy to see my building as we pulled up; nothing like the comforts of home after being in a motel for a few days. Mulder grabbed my extra bag and walked me to my door. We walked in and dumped the bags. I turned to him and said, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely!" He pulled me closer to him and gave me an exquisite kiss. Our mouths seemed to be synced together sensing when to switch to a different technique. For two people who hadn't had much practice in recent years we kissed as if we were habitual about it. Unwillingly we broke apart. "Good night, Scully."

He returned the gift of torture I had given him last night and I laughed in spite of myself. Then he walked out the door and left me standing in the middle of my living room in shock.

* * *

I managed to make my way home without crashing into someone. Driving when you're on cloud nine can be a challenge. When I entered my apartment, though, the loneliness I'd felt for

years crept upon me again. I sorted the pile of mail not intending to open any of it unless it was marked _Past Due_. At the bottom of the pile was a small white envelope. Curiosity got the best of me and I ripped it open.

_You and a guest are cordially invited _

_To celebrate the wedding of_

_Laurie Fredrickson_

_and_

_Joseph Mason_

_On Saturday the Twenty-First of August_

_Nineteen Hundred Ninety-Nine_

_6pm at the_

_Georgetown Hilton_

I have turned down all of the few invitations I've received throughout the years. But, maybe this would be a great opportunity to take Scully out. The wedding was in three weeks. That gives me plenty of time to ask her and for her to get a dress. I put the invitation on the coffee table and stretched out on the couch.

_I woke up lying on my back in the warm sun. I heard the sounds of trees rustling in the wind and birds singing nearby. When I sat up I could see something in the distance walking towards me in a field of wildflowers. As it got closer I realized it was a woman wearing a long white dress. She was walking slowly and it took me a long time to recognize the woman was Scully. Her hair was down but was in curls. It made her look younger. When she was only a few feet in front of me I realized the dress was a wedding dress. It had thin straps that hung on the outside of her shoulders. The cut was low, but modest and the fabric clung to her thin waist down to her hips and began to flare out. The top had a beaded border interlaced with small crystals. She looked magnificent. _

_I stood and reached out to her. Without a word she took my hand and with an indescribable smile led me over to a small grove of trees. I saw a canopy lined with purple lilies, yellow chrysanthemums, and pink orchids. Under the canopy stood a man with a book in his hands wearing a black tuxedo. It was then that I looked down at my clothes and was shocked to see myself in a white tuxedo._

"_Fox Mulder, do you take this woman, Dana Scully, to be your lawfully wedded wife,__ to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?" I looked at the man before me and then to Scully. I thought about all the things we have been through together. I had already stood by her side through all the things he was asking of me. Why would it be any different to continue with her like this?_

"_I do."_

"_Dana Scully, do you take this man, Fox Mulder, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?" Scully looked into my eyes and I saw a single tear slide down her soft cheek._

"_I do."_

"_By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss your bride!"_

_I put one hand on the small of her back and the other up higher. Then I leaned down and pressed my lips onto her's. I couldn't believe we had just sealed our love with a perfect kiss! When I finally released her I looked deep into her eyes and said, "Dana, I love you more than anything in this world and I will try everyday to make you happy!"_

"_Oh, Mulder, you already do!" She pulled me down with her hand on my neck and got up on her toes and kissed me again._

Knock, knock, knock.


	5. The Visitor

_Please be Scully!_ I'd just been yanked from a great dream by a sharp rapping at the door. Without even looking through the peep hole I quickly unlocked and opened the door. "Sc…Diana?" My mood immediately changed as I saw this woman before me. Memories from my past flooded my brain and I became very angry. "What are you doing here? You know, what, never mind!" I shoved the door trying to shut it, but failed. Her foot was already in the way. She must have anticipated that.

"Such a warm welcome, Fox!" I cringed when I heard her say my first name. She pushed me out of her way and walked in.

"Get out!" I held the door open waiting for her to walk back through it.

"Fox, can't we just be civil?" She was staring at me the same way she did just a few years ago when we were partners on the X-Files.

"I thought I made myself clear the last time I saw you. Get out of my life and stay out!" I tried not to shout at her. It was pretty late and my door was still open. I didn't want to alarm my neighbors.

She sat down on my coach, "Fox, I came here to talk to you. There's something you should know."

"No, I don't care! There's nothing I want to hear from you…"

"It's about your partner. Scully, right?"

That got my attention! In our previous partnership I had stood by and trusted this woman. Then she left and shattered my life. The result made me more protective of myself and who I let in. Now, she's in my apartment talking about Scully. I wanted nothing more than to pick this woman up by her hair and drag her through the streets and not in a caveman kind of way. But, my concern for Scully was overbearing.

"She is in danger, Fox. If she continues to work with you her life will be at risk."

Maybe it was wishful thinking, but this didn't sound threatening. "Why do you think I'm going to trust you? Who do you think you are?"

"I thought I was your friend, Fox. You used to trust me. When we were together…"

Her voice trailed off and I looked at her, but she wasn't looking at me. Her eyes were focused on something behind me. I was almost afraid to turn around. Something inside told me I knew exactly who was it was.

* * *

I was standing outside Mulder's door. It was wide open! I started to pull out my gun when I heard Mulder say "Why do you think I'm going to trust you? Who do you think you are?" I slowly walked in and then an unfamiliar voice said "I thought I was your friend, Fox. You used to trust me. When we were together…" I had my gun pointing at the only person in the room I didn't know.

"Scully, it's ok. You can put that away."

Mulder had turned around. I noticed he looked a little different. He wasn't quite as tall and upbeat as I'd seen him the last few days. It was as if something had just been taken away from him. I put my gun back in the holster on my hip and looked back to the strange woman. She looked a little older than me with dark brown hair coming just past her shoulders.

"Scully, this is Diana Fowley. Diana, this is Dana Scully." Mulder gave the introductions, but it did nothing to tell me who this person was. I was a little confused as to why he was using her first name. I thought he used everyone's last name. I'm sure he would have called his own mother Mulder if he'd been allowed. "Diana and I were partners once."

I turned to look at him so quickly I nearly hurt my neck. I never knew about this woman. How is that possible? I felt hurt and left out. I thought I knew him better than that. He must have seen it in my eyes because he looked down at the floor.

"Is that all I was to you, Fox?" I caught a faint smile pass her lips. _What is that about? _"I'd better be on my way," she said. She stood up and I saw how tall she was. I had never felt so short in my life! I straightened my back and shoulders trying not to make it obvious. _I can't let this woman get to me._ "Let me know if you want to discuss this any further." She handed him a little card then walked through the empty space between Mulder and me. I heard her heels clacking down the hall, pause, and then enter the elevator.

Mulder was still staring at the floor. His arms hung down at his sides. The only reason I hadn't left yet was to avoid further contact with "Diana." I wasn't sure if his silence was helping or hurting more. Once I was positive I wouldn't run into her again I left. I secretly hoped he would follow me, tell me it wasn't what I was thinking. When the elevator doors closed I tried as hard as I could to hold the tears back. I clenched my fists and my jaw, but by the time I made it down to the bottom floor my face was streaked with tears.

* * *

A/N Ok, so I had to throw her in! If you haven't noticed by now my stories usually aren't set in a specific time. I just make the story work around whatever I want. I'm also taking suggestions on how Mulder should grovel at Scully's feet!


	6. Details

I didn't want to go home. I no longer wanted him to follow me. I had nowhere else to go, though. I started turning in the direction of my apartment when a thought dawned on me. There was one place I could go.

* * *

We all looked up from our various activities at the sound of the buzzer on the door. I got up and saw the monitor reveal my favorite red-head. "What's the password?" I only did that to toy with her.

"Frohike, please let me in."

I turned to the guys behind me. "Something's up." I opened the door and she walked in with her head down a little. "Scully, is everything ok?" She sat on one of the stools next to our large desk.

With her head still low she said, "I need you guys to do me a favor." We waited for her to continue. "Don't tell Mulder I came here. I don't want him to know where I am right now."

"Ok, but what's wrong? I asked

"Is there something about Mulder that I should know?"

We quickly glanced at one another. "What are you talking about? You know Mulder better than any of us."

"I thought I did until tonight. Do you know anything about Diana Fowley?" It wasn't until she said that name that she looked up. Her eyes darted from Langley to Byers, and finally to me. I wasn't sure I could hold it in any longer. I could now see that her face was a little puffy around her eyes and her makeup was a little streaky. My heart broke right then and there.

"I hate that woman!" I said.

"We all do," said Byers.

"She was in Mulder's apartment tonight. I've never heard anything about her. I didn't know she existed." She put her head down low again. She was acting very strangely.

"Scully, I think I know Mulder well enough to assume he wants nothing more to do with her," I said.

"Yeah, I don't think he's seen her since she took a new job a few years back," Langley continued. "Besides, you have nothing to worry about. His divorce was final way before you showed up."

I threw Langley a severe look.

"Oops."

"He…they…they were married?"

It looked as if she was about to throw up. "Mulder asked us to never speak of it. He has always said it was the biggest mistake of his life! It didn't even last that long." I tried to console her, but I knew it wasn't working.

"Why did they split up?"

"She got a job offer overseas and left him. He was practically still at the altar." Byers said.

"That's what she meant!"

"What did she say?" Langley asked.

I gave him another look.

"I need to get out of here." Scully got up to leave. "Please don't tell him I was here."

"Are you going home?"

"No. I'm gonna disappear for a while."

"We won't tell him, Scully, but please don't make us worry." I didn't feel comfortable with her running away like this.

"I'll call you later. Thanks guys!"

She left us and I broke the silence with "Way to go blabbermouth!"

"I didn't mean to! It just slipped out! How was I supposed to know she didn't get all the details?"

_She still didn't know all the details._


	7. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

When Scully left I was devastated! I probably knew exactly how she was feeling. I had kept a big secret from her. Her, my best friend, my partner, and now the only woman I could ever see myself growing old with. I was surprised that she had come over, but the fact that she had just met Diana was too much. I gave the introductions and just shut down. Scully didn't say anything at all. I could feel her eyes burning through me. Thankfully Diana left, but then Scully did, too.

I collapsed on the couch thinking about the horrible mess I've put myself in. We had just begun to open up to each other and I had to shatter it with my past. _How was I going to fix this? Would I even be able to? _I started thinking about different things men do to apologize. _Do I send her flowers? Buy her expensive jewelry?_ The dream popped into my head at that thought. It had seemed so real because it felt so right. The revelation it brought panged me. _I want to marry Scully!_ But why would she want to marry me? After all the things I have put her through and now this! I suddenly began to cry. I felt as though it was all over. Not just our new relationship, but our partnership as well. I felt certain she would go into work in the morning and request a transfer.

I woke up hours later. It's funny how I can't sleep when I want to and sleep well when I don't want to. I felt like I had a hangover, though. My head was throbbing and I could hardly see straight. Again, I thought of her requesting a transfer. I had to stop it! I couldn't let her do it!

I dialed her number. _Answer the phone Scully!_ Voice mail! "Scully, it's me. Please! Don't leave me. Don't leave the X-Files! I need to talk to you. I need to explain! Please, Scully. Call me! I'll wait forever if that's what it takes!" I paused not knowing if I should end it there or tell her how I felt. "Scully, I love you!"

* * *

I found a decent hotel that would let me pay in cash. I knew Mulder would use all his resources to find me. When I woke up the next morning I saw I had a missed call from him. I spent a good 15 minutes talking to myself about whether or not to even listen to the voice mail.

I picked up my phone and started dialing. "Mom, hi…yeah…I'm fine…you want to get together today?...lunch?...OK…I'll see you then. Bye"

If I was going to ditch work I needed to call in sick or something. When Skinner's assistant answered the phone I told her I was going to take the day off. She asked me to hold.

"Agent Scully?" Skinner's voice was now on the other end of the line.

"Yes, sir?"

"Is there something going on that I need to know about?"

"No, sir, why?"

"Agent Mulder just called in sick as well."

Uh Oh! I didn't know what to do then.

"Agent Scully, either you tell me what's going on or I deny both requests and bring you both in."

"Sir, would you be happy with I need some time away from him?" It was all I could come up with.

"Well, it's about time. You two spend more time together than me and my wife. I'll see you on Monday?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you!"

I took a long bath listening to some music and hid in my room until it was time to meet my mom for lunch.

When I arrived she was waiting for me on the porch with some lemonade. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, honey! It's nice to see you!" She gave me a hug and kissed my cheek. "Sit down." I did so and then she asked, "To what do I owe this honor?"

"Well to be honest, I did come here to ask your advice about something."

"I'd be glad to help! What is it?"

"I don't really know where to start."

"Is it about work?"

"No, not really."

"Fox?"

My reaction to his name was a dead giveaway for my answer. "Something happened on our last case." She waited for me to continue. "Apparently I had been sleepwalking and ended up in bed with him a couple of times." Her blank expression turned to stunned.

"Dana, how could you?"

"What? I didn't know I was doing it!"

"How can you have sex with a man twice and not know it?"

"Mom! We didn't have sex!" I knew I was blushing, though. If I was having this conversation with any other woman I would not have been so bashful about it. But talking to my own mother about sex was still uncomfortable. "I was asleep the whole time and Mulder was a perfect gentleman!"

"That's a relief. For a second I thought I'd have to send you straight to confession." I rolled my eyes. "So, then what's wrong?"

" Well, after that we ended up kissing. A lot!"

"Oh, Dana! That's wonderful!"

"Huh? What?"

"I've waited a long time for you and Fox to finally admit your feelings to one another. I could see it plain as day! I'm surprised no one else has. But this is nothing you need my help with. You're a grown woman! Go have some fun! Not too much, though." She nudged me gently with her elbow.

"You're right, Mom. That's not what I need help with. You see, I've just found out that Mulder has kept a pretty big secret from me. I can't tell you what he did, but it's pretty heartbreaking for me." I didn't want to tell her his business. It wasn't my place, but it was very tempting to air out his dirty laundry.

"Dana, how do you feel about him? How did you feel before you discovered his flaw?"

"I've been thinking about that. I thought I knew him pretty well and we've been through hell and back. I would do anything for him. I would die for him. I would kill for him. I wanted to spend every waking moment by his side. Apparently I've also wanted to spend every sleeping moment there too."

"Dana," she said gently putting her hand on mine, "that sounds like love to me."

"Love?" I pondered on that word for a few seconds.

"Honey, have you given him a chance to apologize?"

"I'm not sure I can forgive him for this, Mom." I started to cry.

"How would you feel if you never saw him again?"

I cried a little more at the thought of never seeing him again. "I would die."

"Well, I don't know what he's done and I can see it's something very bad. But I do know that you can't have a future together if you can't forgive him. I'm sure it will be very difficult, Dana. What is more important to you?

I was silent for a while thinking about those words. She was right. The least I could do was to give him a chance to apologize. If it's a good one maybe we can salvage this.

"Are you hungry?" she finally asked.

"Yes."

"Ok, I'll go get started on lunch."

"I'll meet you there in a minute. There's something I need to do."

"Ok, dear." She started to walk inside. "Dana, if I know you and if I know Fox, you can get through this."

After she retreated inside I pulled out my cell phone. "Scully, it's me. Please! Don't leave me. Don't leave the X-Files! I need to talk to you. I need to explain! Please, Scully. Call me! I'll wait forever if that's what it takes!" There was a long pause and then I heard, "Scully, I love you!"

* * *

A/N I'm still wondering how I should let Mulder out of this. How should he make it up to her?


	8. The Details

"I don't think we should tell him. He would never find out anyways." Langley said.

"Byers, what do you think we should do?" I asked him.

"Hmm," he paused, "I don't think we should, either."

"I think he has a right to know. How would you feel if you were in his shoes?" I asked. "Even if it hurts him he should know." I couldn't believe these guys would want to keep this from Mulder. Then I was surprised to hear Langley say, "Ok, I switch my vote."

"Fine, it's settled," I said. I grabbed my phone. "Mulder, it's Frohike. Can you come over right away? We've found something…no, it is important." He wasn't going to come. I had to play hard ball. "Scully is here." Mulder said he'd be right there and hung up. The guys looked at me.

"Liar," Langley said.

"What are you going to do when he gets here and she's not here?" Byers asked.

"I just wanted him to get here. We'll just tell him the truth. If he is going to make up with Scully she'll need to know this, too. It's all part of the package."

* * *

I raced over to their place. I had been trying to call Scully all morning. I tried everything I could think of to find her. I even went to her apartment. Her car was gone, but I still knocked on her door. It took all my strength to resist the urge to use my key. She'd kill me if I invaded her space like that.

I banged on their door harder than I had wanted to. Thankfully Langley quickly opened it. No need for the usual banter.

"Where is she?" I looked around the room. "Where is she?" I repeated. I saw Frohike lock the door behind me. _What's going on?_

"She's not here." Byers said.

"I'm sorry, Mulder. I had to get you over here somehow. There is something very important we need to tell you," Frohike interrupted.

"I need to talk to Scully!" I said.

"She came here late last night, but didn't tell us where she was going," said Byers.

"She did call us about an hour ago to tell us she was ok, though," Frohike continued.

"Why did you lie to me? I need to talk to her." I paused for a second and then a thought occurred to me. "Why was she here? What did you tell her?" I started to get angry. "Did you tell her about Diana?" I was shouting now. All three of them avoided my eyes. "Why! I asked you to never tell anyone!"

"I'm sorry, Mulder," Langley said softly. "It was my fault. It just slipped out."

I banged my fist on the closest table. The smaller objects bounced slightly. "What did she say? Tell me everything!"

"She only asked why you split up and then she left," Byers said.

I sat down. "Oh, man! I've totally screwed up! What am I supposed to do?" I thought aloud.

"Mulder, we're really sorry about all of this, but there's more. There's something you should know," Frohike threw in. I looked up at him. _What could be worse than this?_

He took a deep breath and handed me a blue file. "We were shocked when we found out Diana left you and then we started snooping around and found that."

I flipped through the pages. "This is just her personal file and medical records."

"Mulder," he continued, "look at the page marked _Medical Examination_."

I opened the folder back up and found such page. I saw the usual blood pressure results, weight, height, etc. Just as I was about to ask what they were referring to my eyes found the answer. _Pregnancy test results: POSITIVE_ I looked for the date this was taken. October 29, 1991. That was just before she left. She knew she was pregnant when she left! _How could she have done this to me? Do I have a kid out there somewhere?_

"Look at the next page, too."

I turned the page. It was the exact same page but with different numbers in all the places. At the bottom half of the page were some hand written notes. _Patient has experienced heavy bleeding for 3 days. Pelvic exam showed evidence of spontaneous abortion confirmed by sonogram._ The date on this page was December 3, 1991. She was 10 weeks along. I understood now. I felt a little sorry for her, but she still withheld this information from me. I could have been a father. "Is there anything else I need to know?" I asked with my head low.

"That's it," Frohike answered. "Are you going to be ok?"

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks." I got up and Frohike unlocked the door. "I'll see you guys later."


	9. Special Deliveries

A/N I meant to say thank you to all my reviewers in my last chapter, but I got really caught up with the story. Plus your stories distracted me! So, thank you for all the input! This one is a little longer. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Dana and I had just finished eating lunch when a knock came at the door. We both looked at each other.

"I don't want to see him, yet."

I nodded.

"I'll clean up, Mom."

"Ok, dear." I walked down the hall toward the door. It was open but the screen door revealed who it was. "She's not here," I said as I came to the door.

"Her car is," he replied.

I forgot about that. I sighed and pulled the front door shut behind me. Stepping onto the porch I motioned for him to sit down. He hesitated briefly, but obeyed. "Fox, she's hurting right now and wants to be left alone."

He placed his elbows on his knees and laid his face in his hands.

"Dana didn't tell me what brought all this on, and I don't need to know, but I think she may give you a chance to apologize."

He lifted his head. "I really screwed things up, Mrs. Scully. But I have to fix this somehow. I don't want to lose her. I love her."

I knew this, but hearing it come from him was what made the difference. I placed my hand on his back moving it in gentle circles. "Fox, just give her a little time. It wouldn't hurt to grovel a little, too. Just be sincere, she can't deny that."

"Thank you, Mrs. Scully." He stood. "Will you tell her something for me? Please?" I stood as well and nodded. "Tell her that I love her and I'll wait as long as it takes."

I looked through the screen of the open window behind the chairs we were just sitting in and saw Dana retreating. I smiled, rubbed his shoulder a little, and said, "I will tell her." After he had gotten back in his car and left I went back inside and found my youngest daughter on the couch crying.

* * *

Somehow talking to my mom made everything all better. There were few times like these that I hoped I could be like her some day. It was late that afternoon when I finally went back home. I had checked out of the hotel before going to her house for lunch. I looked around my home feeling like a stranger. Something was missing here. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it didn't sit right with me. I walked up to the answering machine and saw I had 3 messages. _Gee, I wonder who that could be._ I pushed the playback button. 8:45am, "_Scully, it's me. Please call me."_ 9:23am, silence. 10:05am, "_I've been trying to find you. I'm getting worried. I need to talk to you."_

"He must really like you."

A voice from behind startled me. I spun around and instinctively reached for my gun. It was her. I relaxed, but didn't lower my weapon.

"Well, I had forgotten how dangerous it was to work with Fox. He must keep you on your toes."

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" I wasn't sure if I was angry at the intrusion or her presence in general.

"I came here to talk to you, Dana."

"Don't act like you know me!"

Her posture changed slightly. "I came to warn you, Agent Scully. If you continue to work with Fox on the X-Files your life will be in danger."

_That was nothing new._ "Who do you think you are? Who do you work for?"

"That's not important right now. You need to tell Fox…"

"I'm not telling him anything! Maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do. I know him! I know he won't give up!" Just as the words escaped my lips I understood a hidden meaning behind them. _He won't give up on me, either._ "I want you to leave now. And don't you ever come near Mulder again!"

"I simply can't do that, Agent Scully. Given our past history…"

"I know your history! I know what you did to him, too!" _That got her attention!_

"Suit yourself, Dana." _There she goes again._ "Don't say I didn't warn you!" She turned and went out the door.

About an hour later I heard a knock at the door. _Will I ever get a moment's peace?_ I reached for my gun again and looked through the peep hole. I could only see a bunch of flowers. A girlish smile formed across my face, but I quickly suppressed it. I opened the door and a man stood there with the flowers and a bag of takeout food.

"Dana Scully?" he said.

"Yes, that's me."

"I was asked to deliver these." He handed me the flowers and I placed them on a nearby table. "This is also for you." He held up the bag.

"Do you know who this is from?"

"We were told it was from 'a jerk'. It's all paid for. Have a nice evening." He left before I could respond.

_A jerk?_ Mulder sure had a good sense of humor. I closed the door and set the food on the table. I opened up the three containers. One had a greek salad, another with stuffed ravioli, and the last contained spaghetti and meatballs. There was also a paper bag that had some breadsticks. _Is this his idea of groveling?_ I sighed and smiled again. Then, "how am I supposed to eat all this food?" I thought aloud. _Duh, Dana, call him to come over._ I guess it was now or never. I think I stared at my phone for 5 minutes before picking it up.

"Mulder."

"Mulder, it's me."

"Scully?"

"I think it's time we talked. Besides, some jerk has just sent me a lot of food."

"I'd love to help you beat him up."

_Hmm_. "Would you like to come over?"

Knock, knock, knock.

With the phone still to my ear I opened the door. Mulder was kneeling on the floor with more flowers in his hands. I rolled my eyes. "Get up, Mulder." He came through still on his knees and I momentarily forgot why I was upset with him. My memory soon returned as he stood.

"Scully, I'm so sorry! I can't even begin to tell you…"

"You really hurt me this time, Mulder!" He was silent. "There have been so many times you have hurt me." I was really going to lay it on him. "You have left me to go on some crazy quest time and time again. You have failed to back me up when all I was trying to do was give our report. I've defended you against my better judgment! I've put my life and my job on the line for you! But now, you have made me a fool! I thought I knew you, Mulder. I have told you so many things, things that I've never told anyone else! How could you do this to me?" One tear dropped down my cheek. _Crap!_

"Scully, I'm sorry!" he said quietly. "I have to start at the beginning, though. It's not going to be easy for you to hear. There's also something I've only learned today and you can ask the gunmen that."

"Fine, I'm listening, but this doesn't mean I forgive you." I crossed my arms and looked down at the floor.

"Di…She and I were dating when I graduated from the academy. After I came across an x-file she and I worked on some cases. One night, after a really bad case in Vegas we got really drunk and found the closest chapel. She left for Berlin a few weeks later. I was completely crushed. It took me a long time to figure out why, though. I was never in love with her. I just didn't want to be alone anymore. It was only 4 or 5 months later that you were assigned to me. In that time, though. I was dead inside. There were moments I thought I would just end it all and make everyone around me happy. But only a week or two before you walked into my office something changed in me. I found a reason to keep going. I found a small clue about Samantha and that's what drove me forward. But, then you happened. I tried as hard as I could to forget my past and until now I had succeeded. It wasn't long until you were the reason I woke up every day." He took a small step towards me. "There is one thing I want you to know. If I fail to convince you of anything else, you need to know that I never once told her or anyone else that I loved them."

I raised my head and looked into his eyes. I was barefoot and he had shoes on. He towered over me at least 10 inches. I was searching for anything to tell me he was lying, but all I could see there, in his beautiful hazel eyes, was genuine sincerity. My heart leapt up into my throat.

He took my hands in his and softly said, "I love you, Dana Katherine Scully!"

"Oh, Mulder!" I threw my hands around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Oh how I had missed that. It had only been about 24 hours since I had last kissed him, but it felt a lot longer. I pulled back but kept my hands around his neck. "I love you, Fox William Mulder!" He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. Our lips synced as they had before. The passion swept over us and he lifted me off the floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist for support and he held me up with his hands under my butt. _This feels incredible! I want more of this!_

"Mm, Scully!" he said between kisses.

"Hmm?"

He pulled back, "Scully, wait."

_Uh oh!_ He moved his hands to my hips and gently lowered me down.

"Do you remember what I said earlier? About something I just learned."

"Yeah." I was a little nervous now.

"Let's sit down." _Oh boy._ "She was pregnant when she left."

"What? You have a kid?" _Breathe in, breathe out._

"No." Now I was really confused. "She had a miscarriage." He lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, Mulder. Are you ok?

"Yeah, it was difficult to hear. I think I was more upset that she didn't tell me. It's hard to grieve for something you never knew about. I don't know why she didn't tell me in the beginning, but I think she kept it a secret because I already didn't know."

"Are you defending her actions?" I was starting to get upset again.

"No, I'm just trying to make myself feel better."

"I'm sorry, Mulder. I didn't mean to overreact. I'm still trying to process all this information."

"Scully," he enveloped me in his arms, "I don't know all the answers, but I feel as though it has all led me here, to you."

_Why was he so good at that? Why is it that I give in so easily to him?_

"I don't know about you, but I haven't eaten all day and I'm starving! How about some dinner?" He stood up and walked over to the table. "Oh, look someone has already provided that."

I rolled my eyes and followed him.

* * *

"I don't think she is going to play along."

"She must or we will have to eliminate her."

"He is never going to believe I am here to help him."

"That's your own fault! If you hadn't screwed things up before we wouldn't be in this mess! We have to make him believe you are on his side."


	10. Oxygen

After dinner Scully kicked me out. She said she still needed some time to think. I think she was just avoiding the elephant in the room. We made plans, though, to meet again for lunch the next day. I could hardly sleep that night. I thought about the werewolf case we went on and all the amazing things that happened there. I couldn't believe I had gotten so lucky! Scully and I finally shared our feelings with each other and even kissed! Thank goodness for subconscious desires!

I thought about my dream again, too. Now that the truth about Diana and me was out and that I was able to patch things up with Scully I could work on getting to a good point to ask her to marry me. Doing it now would be really stupid. We were both still very fragile and I needed to work up the courage to ask her. It was times like these that I wished I had someone to talk to. Scully really is the only friend I have. The Gunmen are great, but they're more like work associates. It's not like we hang out often.

The sound of my phone ringing pulled me out of my sleep. "Mulder."

There was silence at first and then I heard faint breathing. "Mulder, it's me. I don't feel so good. Something's wrong." The line went dead.

I looked over at the clock. It was 7:13am. I jumped out of bed, rushed to get dressed, and sped over to her house. The drive couldn't have seemed longer. I needed to get to her. I ran red lights, sped through the streets, did whatever I had to in order to get to her.

I didn't bother knocking. I searched for her, eventually finding her in her room on the floor. She was on her side with the phone still in her hands. "Scully! Scully wake up!" I shook her, lightly slapped her face. I pressed my fingers to her neck, a pulse! But, then I noticed she wasn't breathing! I rolled her onto her back and began CPR. It took me 5 tries to get her to breathe again. She then began to convulse. I panicked! _Where's the phone?_ I found it and dialed 911.

* * *

_Something isn't right here._ I could hear the familiar beeping of machines. _Not again!_ I struggled to open my eyes.

"Scully?"

_Mulder!_ "Muull…" I could feel an oxygen mask pressed to my mouth and nose.

"Shh, don't try to talk."

I finally peeled my eyelids apart and was blinded by an overhead light.

"Dana, how are you feeling?" It was my mom. I'll have to hear another lecture about my "dangerous" job.

"Ok," I managed to say. I tried removing the mask, but was stopped by Mulder. "What happened?" It was quiet and breathy, but I had to ask.

"We don't know." Mulder was at my side clinging to my hand. "You called me saying you felt sick. Then the phone went dead. I was worried."

_Leave it to Mulder to rescue me once again._

"Do you remember anything?" My mom asked.

I shook my head. A doctor came in then. "How is our number 1 patient?" she asked. I must have made quite an impression on one of my many visits.

"She's says she's feeling ok," Mulder answered. "It must be the truth, because normally she claims she's 'fine'." The three of them smiled knowingly.

"Dana, we ran a number of tests, but have yet to determine the cause of your symptoms. When you were first treated your blood pressure was low as well as your pulse ox. You even went into convulsions. But since you were brought in your symptoms have reduced and your vitals have improved significantly! We are still waiting on a couple of test results to come back."

I nodded in an attempt to thank her. My throat still felt dry and itchy. But what she was saying seemed to be true. In the minutes I've been awake I have been feeling better and better.

"How are you feeling, sir?" My mom and I looked over to Mulder. He looked at me as if he was afraid to answer.

"I'm feeling just fine."

"Your headache has gone away? Any more dizziness?"

Again, he seemed nervous. "No, none."

I removed the mask. "Did something happen to you?"

"It must have been my way of reacting to your situation. I was just feeling a little dizzy that's all."

I wasn't buying it. Instantly a thought came to me. "Did you happen to run a CO-oximeter?"

She checked my chart again. "No, that test was not performed."

"How long has it been since you found me, Mulder?"

He looked at his watch. "A couple hours, maybe."

"I'll get right on it myself!" said the doctor. She quickly left the room.

"What is it, Dana?"

"I probably wouldn't have thought of it if Mulder hadn't said anything." They looked at me questioning. "I think I may have been poisoned!


	11. Pure Evil

A/N: Ok, so I changed an episode a little. Spoiler for Orison!

* * *

"Hello?"

"I just received a phone call. Agent Scully has been hospitalized again."

"I only did it to scare her."

"You could have killed her."

"I thought you wanted her dead."

"Only as a last resort!"

"Either way, I think this will help her to accept my proposal."

"But you still have to get Mulder on your side."

"There is more than one way to get to Mulder. He should be receiving a case soon. One that he can't refuse. With Scully's recent illness she'll be forced to rest. That's when I'll be there to help Mulder."

"My patience is running out."

"It will only be a matter of days."

* * *

Skinner called me in after checking on Scully. Apparently there was a big case he wanted me on.

"Agent Mulder, do you remember a man named Donald Pfaster?"

_Asshole!_ "Rings a bell."

"He's escaped from prison. No one can even figure out how he did it. I thought maybe you'd want first dibs."

"I'll get right on it." This man doesn't deserve what Scully did for him, but I have to respect her wishes. I got up to leave, grabbing the file in Skinner's hand.

"There's more."

"Sir?" I turned around.

"I've assigned you a temporary partner who is waiting for you in your office."

I was livid! How could he do this to me? _I have a partner!_

As if reading my thoughts he added, "I hope Agent Scully will be back soon."

I headed down to the basement curious to see who got stuck with me. Maybe they had all taken bets or drew straws this time. I hoped it wasn't Nicholson from the Human Trafficking office. I knew his partner was on paternity leave for the week. Or Boller who watches for internet fraud. He couldn't hit an elephant with a shot gun it was ten feet in front of him. No, if I was gonna be stuck with someone he'd better be able to back me up with this case. I opened the door and found my worst nightmare! "Diana?"

"Fox, how nice of you to join me." She smiled at me. It was kinda creepy. "It looks as though we'll be partners again."

"Just for this case, Diana." I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of courtesies or lengthy sentences.

"I've already booked our flights to Minneapolis. We leave in 2 hours."

"Just enough time to pack. I'll meet you there." I started down the hall.

"Fox!" she called after me.

I didn't want to stop, but the elevator had already gone up 3 floors so I had no choice. _Where are the stairs?_

"Fox, where are you going? I thought we could catch up."

Ding

"You thought wrong." I entered the elevator and pushed the _Door Close_ button, glad to be away from her. As soon as I exited the building I called Scully. "Hey."

"Hey, back."

"Skinner asked me to work a case. You gonna be ok for a few days?"

"Yeah, my mom won't leave my side. I guess it's time I spent some time with her anyways. We're going to her house later this afternoon."

"Ok, you have fun." I knew how she didn't really like to be alone with her mom for very long.

"Thanks. Good luck on your case."

"I'll call you later. Love you."

"Love you."

* * *

"He took the bait."

"Good. I expect results this time."

"I understand. I'll call you when I've made progress.

* * *

Let's just say the flight was quiet and uneventful. Diana tried numerous times to strike up a conversation, but I ignored her and pretended I was asleep. Unfortunately she knows me a little better than that. The only reason I agreed to work with her was because there wasn't any time to find someone else. Basically I was letting her tag along.

I spoke to a marshall about the case while waiting for our flight. I also looked over the file that was faxed to us. Pfaster escaped that morning but no one tried to stop him. Now the man hunt was on.

"He left right under our noses. We don't know how he did it." A guard explained what had happened earlier in the morning. The more stories I was hearing the more I was convinced this was a form of hypnosis. I was beginning to feel relieved that Scully wasn't with me. I remembered the look on her face when we finally found her. I'd never seen her break down like that. I shook the memory away.

"Agent Mulder?"

It was Diana. I glanced in her general direction and left the room. As I entered another room I noticed white walls with scriptures written on them. Then I heard music coming from a vent above me. It took me a moment to recognize the song. "Don't look any further" reverberated through the room. I hadn't heard that song since high school.

After interviewing an inmate who swears his fingers had all been cut off Diana and I stood in the hall arguing about the things he said. Then I heard it again. I walked closer to the nearby vent. _Strange_. Then, we got a call. They had found Pfaster.

* * *

"Was he here?" Mulder asked.

"We're trying to determine that," replied the marshall. He looked bewildered sitting in that booth.

"Did you see him?" I asked.

"Well, that's a good question. We thought we saw something, but apparently we didn't."

"We got a call about a possible sighting of the suspect. Something happened here." Mulder said.

"Guy got hit by a car." We turned to find the voice. A waitress pouring coffee into a customer's cup looked up at us.

"Prison chaplain as it turns out. A Reverend Orison," said the marshall.

"Excuse me, can you turn that up?" Mulder had walked closer to the counter.

I heard the song on the radio. It was the same song we heard in the hall not an hour ago. _Must be the DJ's favorite_.

"Agent Fowley?"

"Yes?" I turned to face a younger marshall.

"The reverend was taken to the hospital and is recovering from his accident."

"We're on our way. Mulder, let's go talk to this guy. See if he can give us anything." I grabbed him by the elbow and he quickly pulled away.

Everything was working as planned so far. I had doubted the reverend would be able to get him out, but I was pleasantly surprised. Now that Scully was out of the way I could do my job.


	12. The Truth Revealed

A/N Ok! I'm really sorry for the long wait! I guess I got a little blocked! Anyways here is the final chapter! It's longer, but I like it!

* * *

It seemed Mulder had been gone for a week, but he called me tonight after he got back to his hotel. "Is everything ok, Mulder?"

"Rough case."

He hadn't told me any of the details about the case he was working on. Since he left he had been vague about the whole thing. I was in no mood to push him, though. I needed a break and the last thing I wanted was to be sucked into whatever he was doing.

"Are you feeling better, Scully?"

"Physically, yes. Mentally, no. My mom is driving me crazy! She wants to know all about us and is already planning our future."

He laughed at that.

"It's not funny," I replied even though I was laughing, too.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be back soon and I'll rescue you, again."

"How romantic of you. I think I'll go home tomorrow, though. I don't really need to be babysat anymore. I'm here for her more than for myself."

"Just make sure you check your apartment or you could just stay at mine."

"Tempting, but I can't hide forever." I heard a faint knocking through the phone.

"Hey, someone's here. I'd better go."

"Ok, good luck."

"Thanks, I think I'll need it." He hung up and I returned to the kitchen to help my mom clean up.

"Who was that, dear?"

"It was Mulder." I knew I'd get an earful now.

"Oh, how sweet! I used to love getting phone calls from your father when he was away. They were a lot less often back then, though.

I rolled my eyes preparing for another story of my parents' past. My newfound relationship seemed to be flushing old memories for my mom.

* * *

The last day went by faster than expected. A call came in saying there was a body out in the woods. Turned out to be Orison. I figured we'd let the local authorities handle the rest. It was their hunt now.

I wanted to get home and see Scully. Unfortunately I still had Diana following me around. I couldn't wait to get rid of her. The return flight was again boring and uneventful. When I had trips with Scully at least we held on a good conversation. I called her before we boarded. She had already gone to her apartment and "thoroughly checked it". Her attempts to assure me of her safety didn't work. I still worried she was in danger. _Who would want to hurt Scully?_

"Fox, what are you doing tonight? Let's go out for dinner."

The sound of her voice chewed away at my insides. I felt as though thousands of parasites were crawling through my body. "I have plans."

"How do you already have plans? We didn't even know we would leave early. Come on, let's go out."

"Diana, I don't want to go out with you!" I was probably talking too loudly for a plane, but I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Ok, fine."

That seemed to work. She remained silent for the rest of the flight.

The cab we shared stopped at my apartment first. I grabbed my suitcase from the trunk and noticed she also got out of the car. She stepped up to me, put her hands on my chest and said, "Fox, I've missed you. I know I screwed everything up between us, but I'm sorry and I think we should try again." Her hands slowly moved up my body. She then pulled my head down and pressed her lips to mine. It all happened so fast. For a moment it was like we had gone back in time, back to when we were happy. Strange, we weren't happy for very long, though. I don't know how long we were kissing, but I snapped back to the present and pushed her away.

"Don't ever do that again! Stay out of my life Diana!" I picked up my bag and rushed inside. When I got to my apartment I checked through the window to make sure she had left. I paced my living room and then wandered around my apartment. She really messes with my head! I knew there was something I was supposed to do, but I couldn't seem to function properly. After I gathered my senses I went into my bathroom and started getting ready to go see Scully.

While brushing my teeth I noticed the light on my machine was blinking. I pushed the button and almost didn't pay attention to it, but the marshall's voice caught my attention.

"Agent Mulder, Marshall Joe Daddo in Marion. Just talked to a call girl who ID'd Donnie Pfaster as an attacker. Claims Pfaster got real upset when she was wearing a red wig. Upset that she wasn't a redhead. This mean anything to you? Appreciate a call back."

_SCULLY!_

_

* * *

_

_How could I have been so stupid? _I just saw them kissing! I couldn't believe what I had just seen! I knew it was all too good to be true! _Was he just playing with my head? Was he even on a case? He was just lying to me this whole time!_

Angrily, I drove back to my apartment. I put on my pajamas ready to eat a pint of ice cream in front of the tv. When I turned to put my clothes in my closet I noticed it was slightly open. The perfectionist, almost borderline OCD, realized something was wrong! But before I could do anything the door flew open and I was being attacked by Pfaster. I managed to run down the hall to call for help, but he threw me to the floor and held my hands tightly behind my back.

"Go back to hell!"

"Who does your nails girly girl?"

"Let me go! The only reason why you're alive is because I asked the judge for life! The only reason you're alive is because we didn't kill you when we could!"

"You're the one that got away. You're all I think about." He whispered in my ear.

"I'm a federal agent. You do anything to me and they will not give you a break this time."

"I'm going to run you a bath." He picked me up and pushed me into my closet. I heard him rummaging through my apartment. I also heard him turn on the radio.

This was my only chance. I bent down putting my head on the floor. I could barely make out my bedroom. I opened the door and crawled under my bed. When I made it to the other side I saw my gun just a few feet away. I struggled to get my hands over my feet, but miraculously I succeeded. Just as I was about to make my move I heard a knock on my front door. I froze.

"Do you have her?"

_Is that Diana?_

"Yeah, she's here."

"Good, I hope you have fun!"

_What?_ Before I could process another thought I heard what sounded like a fight. The noises continued and then I saw their shadows coming. I ducked hoping I was still hidden. He had dragged her into the bathroom. I heard her screaming but it was muffled like he had gagged her, too. Her screaming intensified and then there was a deafening silence. _Had he just killed her?_

He came back out of the bathroom and went back into the living room. _Now or never_. I got up and reached for my gun. I went straight to the living room and saw him just standing there. The next thing I know I'm holding my gun and Mulder is staring at me. I look down and Pfaster is lying on the floor at my feet with blood coming out of his chest through two holes. _Did I just shoot him?_

* * *

"If you want to pack some things, we can get out of here." I look over at my partner. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a bible. I watch her as she climbs up on the side of her bed. "You can't judge yourself."

"Maybe I don't have to."

"The Bible allows for vengeance."

"But the law doesn't."

"The way I see it…" I sit next to her, "…he didn't give you a choice. And my report will reflect that…in case you're worried. Donnie Pfaster would've surely killed again if given the choice."

"He was evil, Mulder. I'm sure about that, without a doubt. But there's one thing that I'm not sure of."

"What's that?"

"Who was at work in me? Or what…what made me…what made me pull the trigger?"

"You mean if it was God?"

"I mean…what if it wasn't?"

I took her back to my apartment. She sat on my couch staring at nothing. I went to get her a glass of water and couple of aspirin. She would be really sore after the ass kicking she gave Pfaster. "Are you hungry?" I asked when I returned.

"No," she replied. She swallowed the two pills and drank the water. "I'm just tired, Mulder." She then lay down on the couch on her side.

"Why don't you…"

"I saw you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you kiss her."

_Uh oh!_ "You were spying on me?"

She sat back up. "Don't try to pin this on me! Were you playing me? Were you even on a case Mulder?"

"We were trying to catch Pfaster!" I said.

"Hell of a job you did! You must have been really focused on it."

"Scully, it's not like that! You've got it all wrong!"

She stood up. "Then why don't you try to explain it to me, Mulder! Why don't you tell me why I was about to be killed while you were…were…"

"I didn't kiss her! And nothing else happened! She was the one who kissed me and I'm guessing you didn't see me push her away from me. That's the last time I saw her."

She sat back down on the couch and began sobbing. I instinctively ran to her. Kneeling on the floor in front of her I rubbed small circles on her back trying to sooth her. "Scully, I told you before you are the only one I want to be with. I love you." I pushed her back to her side so she could lie down. I remained on the floor softly rubbing her back and arms. I placed my head on the edge of the couch and after a few minutes she had stopped crying. We stayed silent but still.

I woke up finding myself in the same position. She was asleep so I pulled a blanket over her and went to my bed. I didn't feel much like a gentleman at that moment. The woman I loved was on the other side of the wall asleep on my couch. It should be her in here. This was one of the rare times that I didn't want to sleep. I looked around my room for something to read and found a really old tabloid magazine. _Monkey baby living in Queens_. I read through the whole thing and decided to try to sleep. I stripped down to my boxers and reached to turn out the light.

Suddenly Scully was at my door. This is getting to be a bad habit. _Or was it a good one?_ She walked over to me and curled up in the bed with her back to me. I turned off the light and wrapped my arms around her. I loved spooning with her. Just when I got settled she turned around to face me.

"Mulder,"

"Hmm?"

"Make love to me."

I moved back a few inches to get a good look at her face. "Are you awake or asleep?"

She snaked an arm around my back and pulled our bodies closer. "I'm awake. I want you to make love to me."

"Scully, are you sure that's the best thing right now?"

"Mulder, after he threw me in the closet I felt as though I'd never see you again. I thought about nothing but you. Even after what I had just seen you and her. And the thought of being without you broke my heart. So, yes, I'm sure. I want you, Mulder."

The last words she said were barely a whisper and I could feel her breath on my bare chest. The sensation sent chills all the way down to my toes. I took a deep breath. "There's something I need to do, first." I turned over again and turned on the light.

"You don't have to worry about that, Mulder. Remember?"

I was momentarily confused. _What was she…? Ohhh!_ "No, Scully," I said smiling. "I'm not talking about a condom." I sat up and threw my legs over the side of the bed. I took another deep breath. I felt her shift into a sitting position. Then I reached into the drawer of the nightstand. The little black box had been sitting in there since my mom died. It was waiting patiently for a new owner. Without turning around I said, "Scully, when I thought Pfaster had gotten to you I was terrified that I'd never see you again, too. And when I saw you weren't dead I could think of nothing else but that I need to ask you something." I turned this time. "Scully, will you marry me?" I opened the little black box to reveal a gold ring with a large diamond between two smaller diamonds.

She gasped! I wasn't sure if her reaction was more about the question or the ring. I guess it didn't really matter. "Oh, Mulder! It's beautiful!"

_Uh, yes or no, Scully?_ The wait was killing me! Finally she looked from the ring to my eyes. I saw she was crying. _Great, I guess that's a no._ My heart sank. She must have sensed my thoughts and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, Mulder! Yes!"

_Huh?_

"Mulder!" She wrapped her arms around my neck and I was still just a little confused. "I would love to marry you!"

I pushed her back, "Really?"

"Yes!"

I pulled her in and embraced her. She cupped my face and started to kiss me. After what felt like ages I pressed her down to the bed. I began kissing her neck pulling at her collar. She was still wearing pajamas. _These need to get lost!_

"Mulder?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't really want to stop you, but would you mind if I put the ring on?"

I got up on my elbows. "Oh, I'm sorry! Of course!" I just had to find it again. Once it was located I sat on my heels and placed the ring on her bruised and bloodied hand and then kissed it. I returned to my elbows, my body covering her's. "What about this weekend?"

"What about it?"

"Let's get married this weekend!"

"What, why?"

"Why not? It's not like we have a hundred friends waiting for a huge wedding. We'll call your brothers, your mom, and Skinner, I guess. That's all we know, anyways. Why should we wait?"

I could see the gears going in her head. "Ok, Mulder. I just want to make sure my brothers can come."

"It's a date!" I said smiling.

"I love you, Mulder."

"I love you, too. Now, do you mind if I continue what we've started?" I smiled again.

She raised her eyebrow and gave me a firm slap to my arm. We laughed and kissed. I moved my hand under her top. I broke our kiss surprised that she wasn't wearing a bra. She simply rolled her eyes and brought my head back down to kiss her.

The passion intensified and soon we were skin to skin. I wanted to linger like this to remember every little detail. I felt the curve of her hips the dip in her back, and the strength of her shoulders. I brought my hand to the side of her neck and lifted my head so I could look into her eyes. They were beautiful! It seemed a fire was burning behind them. Neither of us spoke. I would certainly remember this for the rest of my life!

* * *

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